by Krymzen Hall

Created on: March 02, 2011

The body of water underneath Chelsea swayed in response to the wind.  She stood high on the cliff, watching streaks of white form peaks on each small wave before seeing them dissipate into the flow, only to form fresh peaks on new waves.  She kept brushing the hair away from her face as she looked down.  The years of jumping from the cliffs and landing in the lake seemed reckless now.  But back then, ditching school with her friends and gambling with her life brought excitement. 

The bonds between her and her friends, especially James, had stood the test of time.  Chelsea and James were inseparable even through adulthood.  It was rare to see people of the opposite sex so innocently platonic for so long.  People would talk and make their innuendos.  But neither Chelsea nor James let it get to them because they knew the truth.  Their spouses would sometimes get jealous of the friendship, but trust allowed them to accept it nonetheless.

Chelsea always knew she would return to the cliffs, maybe for a reunion—but not for this.

“We couldn’t meet elsewhere?” Chelsea asked James as he walked up.

“You knew it was going to come to this,” he responded.  “Where else should we be right now?”

Chelsea took in a moment of silence as the natural elements too over.  The waves crashed, the wind continued, the small rocks scattered around the earth, the inevitability danced in their midst. 

With a breath of finality, Chelsea said, “I remember the day you almost drowned. That was funny.”

“Yeah, it seems like a lifetime ago.  Too bad things have to change.”

“Maybe,” Chelsea said, looking into his eyes, “they don’t have to change.  Maybe this was meant.”

“We’re not in high school anymore,” James said.  “We’ve made commitments to other people.  We’ve built families with other people.  We’ve fallen in love other people.”

Chelsea wanted to contradict James.  She wanted to close her eyes, open them, and see the gang together again, complete with James laughing as he pushed her into her first jump.  But there was no going back in time.  They were adults, best friends who, in one night, managed to unravel a lifelong friendship by making love.

They hadn’t been drinking, and neither had fought with their spouse.  There was no

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